A federal judge is halting an Alabama program that made thousands of legal voters inactive ahead of the November elections.

District Judge Anna Manasco sided with the Justice Department and civil rights groups that said the effort came too close to election day and included eligible voters

Fairway is based in Wisconsin and operates in Birmingham under the name MortgageBanc. The Justice Department and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau claimed that Fairway discouraged residents of Black neighborhoods from applying for mortgage loans.

Voters across Alabama will be able to vote for or against Amendment One on Nov. 5. While it is being voted on statewide, it will only affect a few counties. State Rep. Jamie Kiel (R-Russellville) sponsored the bill during the legislative session earlier this year.

A judge temporarily blocked Alabama’s voter removal program after finding the state violated federal law by systematically purging voters too close to this fall’s election.

Since then, Alabama has supported Republican presidential candidates. If a nominee of either party shows up here after Labor Day, it’s because they’re fundraising or trying to get a U.S. Senate candidate elected. Trump’s appearance had its eyes on a rally planned in Georgia two days later.

A judge barred the Alabama secretary of state from moving forward with a program to clear noncitizens from voter rolls, saying it violated federal law.

As the 2024 election approaches, here's what to know about ballot tracking, vote-by-mail deadlines, and finding your polling site in Alabama.

The judge wrote that Allen’s office “blew the deadline when he announced a purge program” just 84 days before the 2024 presidential election.

The ruling came after the Alabama Secretary of State Office announced it identified over 3,000 voters registered under noncitizen IDs in August.

A federal judge issued an injunction ordering Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen to stop a voter purge program until after Election Day.